State Sovereignty on the GOP Campaign Trail for Governor

The Republican candidates for governor all seem to be campaigning not just against each other, but against Washington. The campaigns of Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, U.S. Representative Zach Wamp, and state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey tout the drive against federal authority to varying degrees. WPLN’s Daniel Potter reports on the escalating rhetoric over state sovereignty.

Congress resumed a debate about unemployment benefits this week, after lawmakers failed to vote on a bill in May that would reauthorize an extension. In the meantime 57-thousand unemployed Tennesseans have been waiting to see if their benefits will return.

Tennessee’s candidates for governor took disparate stances on what parts of the next state budget they’d trim during the first televised gubernatorial debate Monday night.

One in five Tennesseans affected by May’s flooding is retirement age and beyond, according to new figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Of the 64,000 applicants for FEMA assistance, more than 12,000 are over 60.

A Republican Congressman running for governor defended his vote for a federal bailout during last night’s statewide debate.

Last night a televised debate for governor at Belmont University saw Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam take repeated attacks from rivals, particularly over his personal finances. The millionaire Haslam is part-owner of the Pilot truck-stop company.

The major candidates for governor are preparing for the highest-profile debate of the election so far. Tonight’s forum at Belmont University will be televised across the state.

The Department of Defense announced Monday a Fort Campbell soldier died in Afghanistan late last week.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen says he has no intention of taking it easy during his last six months in office.

The state of Tennessee is bailing out a struggling trust fund that allows families to prepay for college at current tuition rates. The budget that goes into effect this month pumps $15 million into a program which was designed to be self-sustaining.